Real Salt Lake to welcome Women's National Team player Megan Rapinoe

Deseret News

Published: Tuesday, Aug. 23 2011 9:00 p.m. MDT

(All)

SANDY — Real Salt Lake is proud to welcome U.S. Women's National Team midfielder Megan Rapinoe for a full day of events surrounding the squad's contest against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, September 3. Kickoff for the game against the Union — the next match on RSL's home slate in Sandy — is set for 7:00 p.m. MT, and tickets for the contest can be purchased online at www.RealSaltLake.com, over the phone at 801-727-2700 and in person at the Rio Tinto Stadium Box Office weekdays from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

As a part of Real Salt Lake's "Youth Soccer Night" against the Union, Rapinoe will begin her day at Rio Tinto Stadium at 2:00 p.m. MT, when she will join hundreds of area youth soccer players for a special "Fan Chat" Q&A session. While the invite-only "Fan Chat" will be closed to the general public, subscribers to MediaOne's Salt Lake City "Daily Deal" program will have an opportunity this Thursday, August 25 to purchase a two-ticket package that will include admission to both the afternoon Q&A session and the RSL-Union match that evening. To subscribe to the Daily Deals special, visit www.slcdailydeal.com.

Leading up to kickoff, Rapinoe will help RSL GM Garth Lagerwey present the pre-game "Chalk Talk" session in the Strong Audi 100 Lions Club before taking place in an on-field recognition ceremony with RSL President Bill Manning prior to kickoff. During the contest, Rapinoe will be made available to members of the media for interview opportunities (time/location TBA), while after the match she will join a pair of RSL players in the Budweiser Club for a post-game autograph session. Only Club Seat and Suite holders will have access to this exclusive signing period; Club Seat tickets for the match remain available and can be purchased by contacting the RSL Premium Seating Department at 801-727-2865.

Rapinoe played a major role in the United States' incredible run at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany earlier this summer, as the California native's repeated clutch performances helped ratchet up the team's profile across the sports and popular culture landscapes as the squad advanced towards the tournament's Final. The 26-year-old winger helped create one of the most enduring moments in American soccer history in the Quarterfinal Round against Brazil, as her pinpoint cross was finished by Abby Wambach to equalize at 2-2 in the dying moments of overtime, allowing the USA to complete an improbable comeback win in penalty kicks.

Rapinoe would follow with standout performances in both the USA's 3-1 Semifinal victory over France and the dramatic Final against Japan, in which she assisted on Alex Morgan's opener in the eventual 2-2 draw, which was followed by a 1-3 defeat in penalties. With her Women's Professional Soccer campaign as a member of magicJack ending after a weekend loss in the league's semifinals, Rapinoe will next take the field alongside her U.S. Women's National Team mates for the first time since their World Cup run for a pair of friendlies against Canada next month, starting on Sept. 17 in Kansas City, Kan. (5:00 pm MT, FOX Soccer) before moving on to her hometown of Portland, Ore. on Sept. 22 (9:00 p.m. MT, ESPN2).